The 20 rejects will be seen walking away in despair having seemingly seen their hopes go up in smoke.[>

But they, and the lucky dozen who get through, are in for a shock.[>

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In a sensational stunt on the first live show on Saturday, the acts will be joined by another four new finalists.[> Each judge – Cheryl, plus Simon Cowell, 50, Louis Walsh, 58, and Dannii Minogue, 38 – will get the chance to choose a “wild card” act for their categories.

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That means one losing act from each group, seemingly kicked out at the Judges’ Houses stage tonight, will get a second chance.[>

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And once they are in, it means they could even go on to win.[>

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The wild card surprise is a big new stunt for the ITV show.[>

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And producers think it will bring in even more ratings, as well as creating more competition among the acts. [>

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A senior show source said: “Simon had been thinking about playing wild cards for a while and this year he decided to do it.[>

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“The ‘final’ 12 acts chosen tonight will think they are the only ones slugging it out to win because that’s how it has always been.[>

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“But there is a massive surprise in store. On the first live show next Saturday, all 20 of the singers and bands who didn’t make it through will come back on the show.[>

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“And on the night, the four judges will get the chance to choose one act each to include in their category – effectively throwing some of the losers a lifeline to be on the show and ultimately win.[>

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“This is a major shake-up for the show and it’s bound to upset the original 12 acts who were chosen at Judges’ Houses.[>

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“As far as they were concerned the others were out of the running. But now four will be back in the race. The judges know about it now but didn’t at the time when they made their choices. The fur will no doubt fly!”[>

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The drama will unfold on Saturday night’s marathon show, hosted by Dermot O’Leary.[>

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Meanwhile, the telly presenter is involved in a battle of his own.[>

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Hunky Dermot is keen to move to the USA and join the American version of The X Factor.[>

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But he revealed US bosses do not want too many Brits on the show.[> And with Simon and Cheryl being lined up for the judging panel, Dermot thinks his chances of getting his dream job are slim.

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The 37-year-old said: “I would obviously love to present the American show but there is a worry about having too many Brits.[>

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“And if I’m up against Cheryl I’m f**ked! I don’t stand a chance.[>

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“She is well and truly an international star now.”[>

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Dermot has already turned down numerous job offers in the States to hold out for The X Factor job.[>

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But he admitted trying to get an answer out of show boss Simon, who will ultimately make the final decision on who hosts the show, was like getting blood from a stone.[>

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Dermot, who has just released his The Saturday Sessions music CD, went on: “Simon just speaks in cryptic sentences. He doesn’t give much away but we’ll have to wait and see.”[>

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And he added: “There’s no way I’d get a Hollywood make-over or my teeth done. [>